0:00:02 > 0:00:04Elis James, comedian.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06Born in Wales, lives in England.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Miles Jupp, comedian.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Born in England, lives in Wales.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15These are our journeys across Wales by land, sea and rail.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19- So you've moved to Wales... - That is right.
0:00:19 > 0:00:20You've been on holidays here.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23I've spent a lot of time here. But I'm hungry.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24You know, I want to know more.
0:00:24 > 0:00:25I want to see more. I want to feel more.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Well, guess who your ideal guide is.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Well, my ideal guide would be Rhod Gilbert.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Yes, he's unavailable. Guess who's available.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34Stop, we made a terrible mistake!
0:00:34 > 0:00:36SCREAMING
0:00:36 > 0:00:38That is not what nature is for.
0:00:41 > 0:00:42Always indicate.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47It's a classic 1-2 combination.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53LAUGHTER
0:00:57 > 0:00:58The English, you've got the M1.
0:00:59 > 0:01:00We've got that.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05I would like you to open that up and try eating it on camera,
0:01:05 > 0:01:07and then I'll tell you why.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Great. OK, I haven't actually pay for that, Elis.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11That is now theft.
0:01:11 > 0:01:12So, welcome to...
0:01:12 > 0:01:15- James...- And Jupp.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27We travelled all the way from Monmouth in softly rolling
0:01:27 > 0:01:29south Wales up the A470 to Trawsfynydd
0:01:29 > 0:01:32in the jaggedy foothills of Snowdonia.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35Yes, we saw some sites.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Whoa!
0:01:37 > 0:01:38That is bracing.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Fed our feathered friends...
0:01:41 > 0:01:45He's not dressed appropriately for throwing offal with a spade at all.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47Put your back into it, man.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Found these...
0:01:49 > 0:01:50From what I can tell...
0:01:52 > 0:01:55..it's a row of fascist houses.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59And went a bit crazy in the hot weather.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03On the hottest day of the year...
0:02:03 > 0:02:07Quite right, Gary, the hottest day of the year.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10There are bits of me that are wet that I didn't know had sweat glands.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13And after a pleasant night at a B&B
0:02:13 > 0:02:16with ensuite model railway facilities,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20we were ready to start the next part of our adventure.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22Well, one of us was anyway.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40- Morning.- Morning. Are you packed?
0:02:41 > 0:02:42Er... No, no.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51So yesterday we had driven from Monmouth up the A470,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54through Builth Wells, Rhayader, Caersws -
0:02:54 > 0:02:56you name a Welsh market town, we went through it -
0:02:56 > 0:02:59before finally arriving at Trawsfynydd,
0:02:59 > 0:03:01which is, of course, famous for its beautiful lake.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08So, when in Trawsfynydd, it's the law that you must visit the lake.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10There we are in our little Mini.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13And there was absolutely no-one else about.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Apart from a film crew, of course, and a few choice sheep.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Right then, Miles. I'm about to show you something.
0:03:21 > 0:03:22Is it a crime scene?
0:03:22 > 0:03:27No. What is the one thing that could improve a beautiful lake?
0:03:27 > 0:03:29A pedalo hire centre.
0:03:29 > 0:03:30No, you're wrong.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32It's a decommissioned nuclear power station.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34- Check that out.- Oh, look at that.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Trawsfynydd nuclear power station...
0:03:37 > 0:03:38- That is brutal, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41I don't mean unpleasant... Architecturally, that is...
0:03:41 > 0:03:43That is classic brutalism.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47It hasn't provided any electricity since 1991.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49It's going to take a century to fully decommission.
0:03:49 > 0:03:50What, to be fully safe?
0:03:50 > 0:03:52Well, I imagine so. It's just there.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56I think it's... In the background of all the mountains, it's quite weird.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00It looks like a little bit of Soviet Russia that's been plonked in the
0:04:00 > 0:04:02- middle of North Wales. - Just a collage...- Yes.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Someone has made. Who designed it?
0:04:04 > 0:04:07The same guy who designed Coventry Cathedral.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11- Oh, Sir Basil Spence. That'll be. - It's nice here, isn't it?
0:04:11 > 0:04:14It's glorious. It is quite safe, isn't it, nuclear power?
0:04:14 > 0:04:15- Why are they...?- I imagine so.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Let's not get into the rights and wrongs of nuclear power.
0:04:18 > 0:04:19Keep it light.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25You give me a pedalo hire centre, I'll keep it light.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29I went on a school trip once to a power station.
0:04:29 > 0:04:30Did you? Which one? Sellafield?
0:04:30 > 0:04:31- Hinkley, I think.- Oh, yeah.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34I just remember our parents all had to fill in a lot of forms.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Came back with a hairy chest.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41You know... You know... Yeah, we all had to go for monitoring
0:04:41 > 0:04:44- once every 18 months. I think it was fine.- Yeah, yeah.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49No flowers will grow around our graves.
0:04:49 > 0:04:50But I think... I think...
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Do you know? It was a very informative afternoon.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Well, we couldn't hang around there all day.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01No, I had a treat in store and I needed to go shopping.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04- Do you remember? - With painful clarity.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07So, we started at Trawsfynydd,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09which is sort of at the bottom of Snowdonia,
0:05:09 > 0:05:12and we were going to climb Snowdon the next day,
0:05:12 > 0:05:16but first I had this little treat planned for Miles near Betws-y-Coed.
0:05:25 > 0:05:26Now, where's this?
0:05:26 > 0:05:29We are going through the slate capital of the world,
0:05:29 > 0:05:33Blaenau Ffestiniog or 50 Shades Of Gray, as it's usually known.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36But today, even Blaenau was looking quite colourful.
0:05:36 > 0:05:37Well, for Blaenau.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55I, Miles, am about to offer you the ride of a lifetime.
0:05:55 > 0:05:56Well...
0:05:57 > 0:05:59A big claim, Elis. Big claim.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03So, this was the... What was it called?
0:06:03 > 0:06:06The Fforest Coaster, Miles.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Oh, yeah, all right. Thanks.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10Now, I couldn't remember the name of the ride but check this out,
0:06:10 > 0:06:15your face when I suggest going on the same sled together.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Can we... Can two adults go in one?
0:06:18 > 0:06:20You'd like that, wouldn't you? To go in a car with me?
0:06:20 > 0:06:22- No, not really. - I think that'd be good.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24- Yeah. It should be fine. - I'll get in the back, Elis...
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Yeah, if you hop in that front one there for the kids.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36That was absolutely brutal.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38Where is the... Where is the brake?
0:06:38 > 0:06:39Yeah, you put your foot in there
0:06:39 > 0:06:41and you put your foot on the other side as well.
0:06:41 > 0:06:42Who is in charge of the brake?
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Yeah, the guy behind is in charge of the brake.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48If you don't enjoy this, Elis, there is something wrong with you.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50- It's very snug. - Snug and comfortable-ish.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54- Yeah...- Do you want to know how you drive?- That's a panic grip.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56I've got a very full bladder, Miles.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Yeah...
0:06:59 > 0:07:02- You know what? I can sense that from here.- OK.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Two things. You're squeezing my bladder.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09- Yeah.- Um...- That can only be with my thighs.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11And as you're in charge of the brake...
0:07:11 > 0:07:14- Oh, yeah.- Bear my bladder in mind. - I... Listen...
0:07:16 > 0:07:19I see your full bladder and raise you a full bowel.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22And when I say full...
0:07:22 > 0:07:24To the brim.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27Currently, three heavy meals.
0:07:27 > 0:07:28Honestly. One bowl of bran flakes...
0:07:35 > 0:07:37I don't know why I suggested this.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39No, you're not looking like you're enjoying it.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41While you, on the other hand, are loving it,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44which was making me not love it even more.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48# I am what I am... #
0:07:59 > 0:08:01I look like a condemned man.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04You look like a character at the end of an incredibly sad film.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10Possibly Scandinavian.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14I am now riddled with doubt
0:08:14 > 0:08:18about every decision I've ever made in my life.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21This looks like a reconstruction of someone's final journey.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33SCREAMING
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Don't really want to be blasting out of this corner.
0:08:48 > 0:08:49Oh...
0:09:00 > 0:09:02Argh!
0:09:13 > 0:09:14Oh...
0:09:16 > 0:09:19- That was very relaxing, I thought. - Argh!
0:09:19 > 0:09:21- I tell you what?- I've got tears running down my face.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23That almost certainly got things going.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25That is not what nature is for.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28That was excellent. Did you enjoy that?
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Wee! Loved it, he loved it!
0:09:30 > 0:09:33Oh, he loved it, he loved it! It was good. It was good, wasn't it?
0:09:33 > 0:09:34Absolutely vile.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39- What are you doing, you muppet?! - BLEEP!
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Urgh!
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Did you mean to do that?
0:09:48 > 0:09:50I assumed the mechanism took over.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54- Apologies.- Sorry, mate.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57- It's all right.- I'm being driven by an absolute burke.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59I did the same as well.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Sorry...
0:10:01 > 0:10:03That was absolutely excellent.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Excellent. You promised the ride of a lifetime, Elis.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07I loved that. Very good.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Elis did not... I think you enjoyed it less.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12- Is that fair to say?- Yeah. - Elis made noises throughout.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14- Very upsetting...- Natural noises.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16Unnatural noises, I would have thought.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19It was like I was sort of holding on to a bag full of very sick piglets
0:10:19 > 0:10:22with a series of upsetting digestive issues.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Yeah, but, I was trying to go with my instincts.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27- I was trying to express... - Very poor instincts.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Yeah. I was trying to express with the experience was actually like.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32- It was exhilarating. It was bracing. - With my noises.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35- Yeah.- I just forget as well that most of my life is spent
0:10:35 > 0:10:37trying to minimise thrill.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39So then to do something like that...
0:10:39 > 0:10:41I can't believe it was technically my treat.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44It was, yeah. As my treat, I think we are going to have lunch,
0:10:44 > 0:10:45which I think you've earned an ice cream.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Just nine Magnums for lunch.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49- OK.- And then maybe a Calippo for pudding.
0:10:49 > 0:10:50Let's go then.
0:10:52 > 0:10:53Turn left here, Miles.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Right, adrenaline buzz over.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Where to next? Oh, I remember.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Just a little trip to Betws-y-Coed town centre, Miles.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Which may well have the greatest number of outdoor clothing shops
0:11:04 > 0:11:06per capita in the universe.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08They've got about two each, I reckon.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Here it is. Very pretty place.
0:11:10 > 0:11:11I needed to go there, you see,
0:11:11 > 0:11:14because I needed to get a pair of boots for the next day's climb.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16You need to kit yourself out.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18- It's important. - Right, it's not a climb, is it?
0:11:18 > 0:11:21It's a walk. Anyway, this sort of admin should have been
0:11:21 > 0:11:22sorted out weeks ago.
0:11:27 > 0:11:28Look at him.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32Elis James is obsessed with cagoules to the point where it's a disorder.
0:11:37 > 0:11:38Yeah.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43We've got some nice fleeces to go underneath here as well.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48So, I'm sort of climbing up Mount Snowdon...
0:11:50 > 0:11:52- Everything, got it all... - Right then, OK. Looking...
0:11:52 > 0:11:56- There we go. You're at the summit now.- I can see...
0:11:56 > 0:11:58I'm at the summit. I can see... I'm ordering a cup of...
0:11:58 > 0:12:02Ordering a cup of coffee in the cafe.
0:12:02 > 0:12:03Sat on the train.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07- Perfect.- Now it's time for a...
0:12:07 > 0:12:09What do you think of this?
0:12:11 > 0:12:12It's like, we're going up a mountain.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15He's talking as if he's choosing what to wear at the BAFTAs.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17I personally think that's perfect for me.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Oh, God. Hats now.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28- I think you look the part now.- Yeah?
0:12:28 > 0:12:31- Yeah.- I feel pretty cool, actually.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33- You look it.- I feel like a new man.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36- A practical new man. - You're ready for the mountains now.
0:12:36 > 0:12:37Please, get out of my shop.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43Mission accomplished.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- Spent enough?- Yeah, yeah. I am quite pleased with all the stuff I've got,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49- actually.- Got good boots?- Boots.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53For crying out loud!
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Well, that spirit-shattering exercise took up most of the day.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02And now the rain was closing in.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05Even more reason, Miles, to have some proper gear.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08Looking forward to conquering Snowdon.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Yeah, yeah. We'll need crampons, ropes, you've got all that.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13I assume, in those two enormous bags of stuff.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15I'm really going to look the part.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18You must have been buying some things that were not in any way
0:13:18 > 0:13:20- relevant to our trip. - No, but you know...
0:13:20 > 0:13:23You basically have taken me to a shop and then gone shopping.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27- Yeah.- I know that is what people do in shops but I sort of felt used
0:13:27 > 0:13:31- back there.- You played a wonderful grouchy husband, by the way.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34- Thank you.- Whilst Mrs Elis really got stuck into the sale.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Yes, I should have sat outside the fitting room
0:13:37 > 0:13:38with all the other men...
0:13:38 > 0:13:40- Going, "It's only money"... - Talking about football.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Yeah... That's where I would have come unstuck.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48So, we were off to stay the night near Llanberis
0:13:48 > 0:13:51because my plan to climb Snowdon the next day actually involved
0:13:51 > 0:13:55getting a lift two thirds of the way up on the mountain railway.
0:13:56 > 0:13:57But would we have a view?
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Well, apparently, it almost never happens,
0:14:02 > 0:14:04but if you are on the top of Snowdon,
0:14:04 > 0:14:06and it's a completely clear day,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08you can apparently see Pembrokeshire,
0:14:08 > 0:14:10right at the bottom end of South Wales.
0:14:10 > 0:14:11- Really?- Apparently.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14But it is so high, it will inevitably be cloudy,
0:14:14 > 0:14:18- misty up there.- Yeah, it will be quite windy, I think.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21- Yeah.- How many layers are you going to wear?
0:14:21 > 0:14:24The waterproof jacket, topless underneath, I think.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29And then it was back to our hotel for an early night,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31where I had a nightmare about being held hostage
0:14:31 > 0:14:33in an outdoor clothing store.
0:14:36 > 0:14:41- Next morning...- Llanberis station, punishingly early.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43And the weather, not looking great.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45But I am full of the joys.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Here we are, then. Snowdon Mountain Railway.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Let the train take the strain.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53That's the staff entrance that way.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I've got contacts, haven't I, Miles?
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Is there anyone in this country you don't know, Elis, who aren't related
0:14:58 > 0:15:00- to you in some way? - It's exciting.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02We're going to use the staff loos and everything?
0:15:02 > 0:15:04- Yeah, yeah.- I cannot wait.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08OK, fact fans, the Snowdon Mountain Railway was built in 1896.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10And they still have steam trains which haul themselves
0:15:10 > 0:15:13up the mountain on a toothed track.
0:15:13 > 0:15:14Unbelievably interesting,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16but we weren't going on the steam train today.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18No, we had diesel power.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Now, I had cleverly managed to get us on the staff train.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25It's the one that takes the workers up to the cafe on the summit.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27And the plan was for us to get dropped off
0:15:27 > 0:15:29about two thirds of the way up.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33- Are you sure we are allowed on here? - Contacts, Miles. Contacts.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35As I remember it, pretty much all the conversation was about how
0:15:35 > 0:15:37resplendent you looked in your new boots,
0:15:37 > 0:15:39which the producer had to buy for you as you had no money.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Yeah, well, my debit card was...
0:15:41 > 0:15:42Stop judging me.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46You are a drain on public resources.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50OK, so we're now going up, Elis.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52I'm not saying I don't trust this whole thing, but...
0:15:52 > 0:15:55- It's exciting, isn't it? - How can this be happening?
0:15:55 > 0:15:58I don't know. I'm just going to sit back and enjoy it.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01- Right.- I'm going to trust whichever genius came up with this.
0:16:03 > 0:16:04Let physics take the strain.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Physics or meteorology was going to play its part though, wasn't it?
0:16:12 > 0:16:15It didn't take long before we entered the eerie cloud
0:16:15 > 0:16:17and had a very misty ascent up the mountain.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28We are at 1,600 feet, 500 metres, halfway up.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31The air's getting thinner.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34The sheep on the line are looking a little bit iller.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37When the mist clears, will be we able to see...?
0:16:37 > 0:16:39You get more grass, I suppose.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43What I like about it is the people behind us, the staff,
0:16:43 > 0:16:47are like normal commuters anywhere else.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50All listening to headphones, reading books.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53And yet their journey to work is up a mountain.
0:16:53 > 0:16:54The biggest mountain in Wales.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58Yeah. Yeah. If you miss this train, you are very late for your shift.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05So, Chloe, you work at the top of Snowdon?
0:17:05 > 0:17:07- Yes, I do. In the shop.- In the shop.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09So this is your journey to work every day.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11Yeah, every morning at eight o'clock.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14- It's brilliant. - Is it normal to you now?
0:17:14 > 0:17:17- Are you used to it?- It's something that you do just become used to.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Well, that lady is reading War and Peace.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23- Yeah.- Like she's on the tube or something.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26It's remarkable. Does the card machine work up the mountain?
0:17:26 > 0:17:28- Yeah, it does.- Is it contactless?
0:17:28 > 0:17:29- Yeah.- Oh, OK.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Well, I'm going to buy a fridge magnet off you later,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34if that's all right. I might get Elis one, if he's good.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39This was our stop, Clogwyn.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Still apparently on Network Rail's upgrade list.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45There is an Upper Crust, but it's tucked out of the way,
0:17:45 > 0:17:46- like the one at Newport.- Thank you.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49And from here, we would begin our walk to the summit.
0:17:51 > 0:17:52This...
0:17:54 > 0:17:55A walk in the mist. Lovely.
0:17:57 > 0:17:58My head has gone. I don't like it.
0:17:58 > 0:17:59- I want to go home.- Really?
0:17:59 > 0:18:02- I think your new boots will see you right.- This is too high.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Yes, it was quite spooky up there, wasn't it?
0:18:15 > 0:18:18All alone, 779 metres up.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20As the train disappeared off into the mist, leaving just us,
0:18:20 > 0:18:25a few more choice sheep and a film crew, who you will never see.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Do you remember how the weather started changing,
0:18:27 > 0:18:29- like minute by minute? - Suddenly it's going, just like that.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33- It's just dissolved. - That is the magic of television.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37- But it's not though, is it?- Thank you to the BBC for sorting that out.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40In that direction there, all mist, this way, it's just gone.
0:18:42 > 0:18:43That is remarkable.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51# I can almost see it
0:18:51 > 0:18:54# That dream I am dreaming
0:18:54 > 0:18:57# But there's a voice inside my head saying
0:18:57 > 0:19:00# You'll never reach it
0:19:00 > 0:19:03# Every step I'm taking
0:19:03 > 0:19:06# Every move I make feels
0:19:06 > 0:19:10# Lost with no direction
0:19:10 > 0:19:12# My faith is shaking... #
0:19:12 > 0:19:15As we are 2,300 feet, time for this to come out.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Oh, excellent. Yeah, well, I've been looking forward to this.
0:19:18 > 0:19:19- What an investment.- Elis...
0:19:19 > 0:19:21You've got to be prepared. You got to look the part.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Really quite something. And the mist is back again, suddenly.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27It cleared and now it's come, it's very baffling.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Someone at the bottom told me to be edge aware,
0:19:29 > 0:19:33which is a great way of saying, try not to fall off a mountain.
0:19:33 > 0:19:34# Always gonna be a uphill battle
0:19:34 > 0:19:37# Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
0:19:37 > 0:19:40# Ain't about how fast I get there
0:19:40 > 0:19:46# Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
0:19:48 > 0:19:51# It's the climb... #
0:19:51 > 0:19:53That's the train. Stop!
0:19:53 > 0:19:55We made a terrible mistake!
0:19:56 > 0:19:58It's too high!
0:19:58 > 0:20:00I lose interest very quickly!
0:20:04 > 0:20:05Not a word. Not a word.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09- Totally ignored.- We've bitten off more than we can chew.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16I like to do things the easy way! No, nothing.
0:20:16 > 0:20:17Absolutely nothing.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21- All right! All right, boys? - All right?
0:20:22 > 0:20:25It was around this point that we started to become painfully aware
0:20:25 > 0:20:27of our own pathetic inadequacies.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30That is extraordinary. It's quarter past nine in the morning.
0:20:34 > 0:20:35Go on, mate.
0:20:37 > 0:20:38Hello. All right?
0:20:40 > 0:20:44- Wow!- Remarkably cheery for people running down a mountain.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47- I hope they're edge aware. - There's a whole family up there.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50They started at 20 past seven and the girl is about 13.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52When I was 13, I was interested in Football Focus
0:20:52 > 0:20:55and Fortress Solitude, which is how I referred to my bedroom.
0:20:57 > 0:20:58- Hello.- Hi, there.
0:20:59 > 0:21:00When did you start?
0:21:01 > 0:21:02- Today?- Yeah.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05- 83 minutes in.- Oh, right.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08- 83 minutes in.- You are speed walking it or are you running it?
0:21:08 > 0:21:09- No, just walking.- Incredible.
0:21:09 > 0:21:14- OK.- Have fun. There's a train.- I know.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16- We'll forget that.- OK.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18- See you later.- Good luck.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22Yeah, what sort of sad losers would go up on the train, eh?
0:21:23 > 0:21:25This wasn't in the contract.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27This specific gradient?
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Yeah. You'd think it would be implicit, wouldn't it?
0:21:30 > 0:21:32Climbing up a mountain,
0:21:32 > 0:21:34there are bits where it's going to get pretty steep.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39- It's good.- I'm beginning to lose interest.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41This is my A-levels all over again.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48- This is a proper incline now, this is.- Yeah.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55And you had all your lovely outdoor gear on as well.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58This is ridiculous. This is absolutely ridiculous.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Proper breezy now, isn't it?
0:22:01 > 0:22:03It's so unpredictable.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05Snowdon was taking the mickey out of us on that day.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07It was hot, it was cold and in the mist,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10every edge looked like a sheer drop off the side.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17But then the old mountain had another trick to play,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20as with each step further, we started to rise above the clouds.
0:22:28 > 0:22:29It's clear again now.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33- This is insane.- It's sort of frightening, isn't it?
0:22:35 > 0:22:38So that's another path.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41That is shorter but more difficult, joining us.
0:22:41 > 0:22:42So it comes up very steep on that side.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46Yeah. And that's the railway track obviously.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48God, that looks inviting, that railway track.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54We are about 15 minutes' walk away, I think.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57You can just see sort of silhouettes of people skipping gaily through the
0:22:57 > 0:23:00- mist.- So what we had here was a cloud inversion
0:23:00 > 0:23:03where we are in the clear above the cloud line...
0:23:03 > 0:23:04Well, in the clear for now.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Because you know from the news that the weather changes
0:23:09 > 0:23:10every ten minutes.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Everyone knows that. But you don't quite believe it,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16when you're in your house in Cardiff.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18But this is...
0:23:18 > 0:23:20And in five minutes' time, it'll be misty again.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22- Yeah, yeah.- It's like opening and shutting the curtains.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24We'll probably be building a shelter.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27I'll be hugging you for warmth.
0:23:27 > 0:23:28Oh, God, every cloud...
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Do you think the thinness of the air is making us talk rubbish?
0:23:33 > 0:23:34ELIS LAUGHS
0:23:35 > 0:23:37I can see it. It's the summit.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Do you think we'll just keep walking and it will seem to get closer now?
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Yeah. So close.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45- It's a mirage.- I feel a lot better now.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49Good to have sort of an end point in sight, isn't it?
0:23:49 > 0:23:50For all of life, I think.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54- Are you going to skip the whole way, Elis?- Yeah.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02# Sailin' away on the crest of a wave
0:24:02 > 0:24:04# It's like magic
0:24:06 > 0:24:10# Oh, rollin' and ridin' and slippin' and slidin'
0:24:10 > 0:24:11# It's magic
0:24:15 > 0:24:21# And you and your sweet desire
0:24:21 > 0:24:28# You took me higher and higher
0:24:28 > 0:24:30# Baby
0:24:31 > 0:24:33# It's a livin' thing
0:24:35 > 0:24:38# It's a terrible thing to lose
0:24:39 > 0:24:41# It's a given thing
0:24:43 > 0:24:46# What a terrible thing to lose... #
0:24:46 > 0:24:48So we'd made it and as we were allowed
0:24:48 > 0:24:50onto one of the old steam trains...
0:24:50 > 0:24:53- How are you, Miles?- Not bad, not bad.- You all right?- Yeah.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55Enjoying myself.
0:24:55 > 0:24:56TRAIN WHISTLES
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Don't do that.
0:24:58 > 0:24:59Do not do that.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Hilarious.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05But of course, there was a reason for our trip.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08This to me, this is what it's all about.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10In here somewhere, there will be fridge magnets.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16Perfect.
0:25:17 > 0:25:18- Yes.- Look at that. You've been in my kitchen.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22- That's the one.- What does it need to just set it all off nicely?
0:25:22 > 0:25:24£18.49, please.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27There's Chloe. Later on, we'll see whether contactless works.
0:25:27 > 0:25:28Cannot wait.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31- Is that a bottle opener?- Yup. - Oh, I quite like that.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Well, have you got your wallet with you?
0:25:35 > 0:25:36No, my wallet is in Llanberis.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Buy me a fridge magnet bottle opener...?
0:25:41 > 0:25:42Snowdon themed.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45No.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Terror. Absolute terror.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51Coming into a shop with Elis is like going into a shop with your child.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55Just asking... They point at stuff and ask you to buy it for them.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59Now, he wants me to buy him souvenirs.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03I have offered him a chocolate shoe.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06A pound. He doesn't have to pay it back. That's his.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09That is it, though. He's going to keep on...
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Everything he's trying on now, he's going to ask me to buy.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14Watch this. I would like you to open that up
0:26:14 > 0:26:16and start eating it on camera. And then I'll tell you why.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23- Great.- OK.- I haven't actually paid for that, Elis.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25That is now theft. Excuse me.
0:26:25 > 0:26:26Theft.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34- You will buy it with your own money...- My wallet is in Llanberis.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37- Do you do contactless? - That'll be £2.50. Yes.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39- Is it contactless?- There you go.
0:26:39 > 0:26:40So satisfying.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51So... Only one more thing to reach, the summit.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Nice to see a bit of order at last.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05I love the idea of that. There's sort of a mad scrum...
0:27:05 > 0:27:08You get to the top, come on everyone now.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11Yeah... Suddenly there's order.
0:27:11 > 0:27:12Order.
0:27:13 > 0:27:14Best of order, please.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18And so, after a happy day on Snowdon,
0:27:18 > 0:27:20I thought it best to leave it to Elis,
0:27:20 > 0:27:26a man who is genetically poetic, to try to describe exactly what it was
0:27:26 > 0:27:28that we were both feeling.
0:27:29 > 0:27:30This is a mountain...
0:27:30 > 0:27:32You're not wrong, Elis.
0:27:32 > 0:27:33You are not wrong.
0:27:35 > 0:27:36Oh, the lyricism.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03- Are you looking for a good time, mister?- And we are...
0:28:03 > 0:28:05- Sailing.- You're doing it, Miles.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09You're sailing.
0:28:09 > 0:28:10That's Swansea over there.
0:28:10 > 0:28:11That's Port Talbot back there.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14That's the jewel in South Wales' crown.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16Apart from Carmarthen.
0:28:16 > 0:28:17OK, I'm ready.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Just... That is me warming up.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24That's all that is.
0:28:24 > 0:28:29If you smelt of onion, lager, fags and urine, Miles...
0:28:29 > 0:28:31I cannot begin to tell you what I'd be doing.